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There are few things to beat a first view of Windsor Castle crouching on its ridge above the River Thames, 23 miles west of central London, with that peculiar menace created so brilliantly by the Normans.

Windsor is a working palace, all of which is in use and much of which opens to the public, depending on the time of year and the Queen’s schedule.

It’s her much-loved refuge from public life and represents an extraordinary continuity: the annual Garter Day links back to the Order of the Garter’s foundation in 1348, 16th-century St George’s Chapel is in daily use, and the private royal apartments are busy at weekends, for ‘Easter Court’ in April, and for Garter Week and Royal Ascot every June.

Until 2019, the Castle is undergoing a £27 million project to improve visitor routes, allow access to the State Entrance used by the Queen’s guests (with views down the famous Long Walk) and a much-needed new café in Edward I’s 14th-century undercroft.

How to get there

Direct trains from London Paddington or Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Central take around 30 minutes, arriving just below the Castle, between 45 and 54 minutes to Windsor & Eton Riverside, with a 10-minute stride up the hill.

Highlights for adults

Art collection: do plan for this if you like paintings and sumptuous objets d’art – because otherwise you’ll be too exhausted after doing the Castle. See paintings by Van Dyck, William Scrots and Thomas Lawrence, to name but a few, limewood carvings by Grinling Gibbons and exhibitions in the China and Drawings Galleries.

Highlights for children

The Changing of the Guard is fun at Windsor: it’s more intimate than the London version, you can march with the guardsmen and band up the High Street from the Barracks and get close as they form up inside. Check days: in winter it’s usually Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and during Easter Court daily - but the schedule can change. (royalcollection.org.uk/visit/windsorcastle/what-to-see-and-do/the-changing-the-guard).

Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House (make sure you are in the right queue for this) is a mini-masterpiece by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with a mini-garden by Gertrude Jekyll. It has flushing loos, working lifts, library books and a silver dinner service for 18 tiny guests, was built to show off the very best craftsmanship in the 1920s.

A pair of binoculars might come in handy for spotting everything inside Queen Mary’s Dolls’ HouseCredit:
THE ROYAL COLLECTION

Best time to visit

Winter (see below), because King George IV’s Semi-State Rooms, usually used for hosting State visitors, are open. Note that St George’s Chapel opens only for services on Sundays.

Where to eat

Until the new café opens, and aside from ice cream, eating is outside the Castle. Try the excellent Two Brewers (01753 855426; http://twobrewerswindsor.co.uk) on Park Street, near Windsor Great Park (note no children inside) or stroll over to Eton High Street for a bit more peace and quiet: you always get a good meal at Côte (01753 868344; cote.co.uk/restaurant/details/windsor), which has an outdoor terrace.

Best view

Look across the Thames towards Henry VI’s magnificent Eton College Chapel from the North Terrace, once built in timber by Henry VIII so that he could watch the Chase below, but turned to stone by Elizabeth I – one of the few bits of building the Tudors did here.

Eton College ChapelCredit:
AP/FOTOLIA

Palace tips

Go straight to the Doll’s House queue as soon as you get inside and (this sounds crazy) take a small pair of binoculars: children will love spotting tiny Champagne bottles and Rolls-Royces - and adults can peer at paintings on the far side of roped-off State Rooms.

Costs/contacts/opening hours

March to October daily 9.45 am to 5.15pm (last admission 4pm), November to February daily 9.45 am to 4.15 pm (last admission 3pm). Closed during State Visits and Royal Events, always check the Royal Collections Trust website (030 3123 7334; royalcollection.org.uk/visit/windsorcastle) before your visit.

Buy tickets direct and turn them into 1-Year Passes: online £18.50 adults, £16.90 concessions, £10.80 children (aged 5 to 17) and disabled visitors. When the State Apartments close, prices drop to £10.30, £9.30 and £6.30. Under 5s are free.